• Amazon Prime Video is planning to no longer produce local African content moving forward.
• Shows like Trevor Noah’s LOL South African and Nigeria’s Ebuka Turns Up may be among the last.
• Prime Video teams in Johannesburg and Cape Town may see layoffs as the company focuses on growing its business in Europe.

One of the world’s largest streaming platforms, Amazon Prime Video says that it may stop greenlighting productions of local original series and films in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa for the foreseeable future.

Apart from the halting of production of local content, some Prime Video staff in these regions will also be let go, according to a report from Variety. Amazon employs teams in Cape Town and Johannesburg to oversee its Prime Video platform. Its Nigerian team works out of London.

Prime Video itself will continue to be available in these regions, but content like Trevor Noah’s Last One Laughing South Africa, and Nigerian sitcom Ebuka Turns Up Africa will cease being produced, meaning that local film production industries will no longer count Amazon as a customer.

The shows that are already approved will continue to be rolled out, but new content may start becoming increasingly rare.

“I have carefully evaluated our structure in the region and decided to make some adjustments to our operating model to rebalance and pivot our resources to focus on the areas that drive the highest impact and long-term success,” said Prime Video Europe VP Barry Furlong.

The company now plans to split its European teams, establish a new director for France, and will refocus efforts on growing its business in Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe and Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

“I have listened and considered the feedback received across the teams over the past 12 months; I believe these changes will improve the operational running of our multi-territory business and allow us to be more agile and focused,” he added.

The proposed changes come just one year after Amazon Prime Video announced an “unprecedented” investment into African film production. In February 2023, the company announced at the Joburg Film Festival a multi-picture deal with South Africa’s Known Associates productions firm.

It also formed a similar deal with Nigerian film producer Jade Osiberu for original content fashioned for Africa’s most populous nation, as well as studios like Anthill, Inkblot and Greoh.

Prime Video is estimated to have around 575 000 paying subscribers in sub-Saharan African as of 2021. It projected this amount to reach 1.9 million in 2026, according to TechCabal.

Streaming giants have followed the example of Netflix, which has struck gold multiple times with locally produced, locally-minded content. Shows like Spanish Money Heist and South Korean Squid Game have ranked atop the most watch Netflix series across the globe, not just in their places of origin.

Unlike Prime Video, rivals like Disney+ and Netflix are seemingly set to continue producing local content in Africa. Disney released animated series Kizazi Moto last year, which features animation work from studios across the continent, including South Africa.

Meanwhile, Netflix has been a major supporter of South African film production for several years now. Apart from using South African companies and actors to produce hits like the live-action One Piece series, it has several popular local series and films, including Blood & Water, Fatal Seduction, Kings of Jo’Burg and more.